Matt Pollmann, Lake County Emergency Management Director, met with the Lake County Board of Commissioners last week to talk about the impacts of recent flooding in North Shore communities. Many areas of the state have sustained damage from the recent storms. It has been estimated that up to 7 inches of rain fell across parts of Lake, Saint Louis and Itasca counties. A number of area roads were damaged by flooding and had to be closed in the immediate aftermath of storms. In addition to damaged roads, flood waters took out the Sullivan Lake Dam and damaged cabins and businesses along the Cloquet and Baptism Rivers. Communities like Finland and Hibbing were damaged and many State parks, trails and campgrounds have also been closed pending damage assessments. Pollmann estimated that the monetary damage to the area will be well over a million dollars. Regional FEMA staff (Federal Emergency Management Agency) are on the ground surveying damage and a statement from Senator Amy Klobuchar indicated that “All public infrastructure damage is being documented so that when the federal threshold for disaster relief is reached, that relief will be delivered quickly.” Area homeowners who have sustained damage to their property have requested support as well, but it is not clear if there will be money available to help them recover from the flooding. Pollmann stated that in the next couple of weeks, FEMA will be surveying damage around the county and will be determining what to cover in Lake County.
Problems of climate change and extreme weather in the state are being compounded by the fact that some homeowners have not carried flood insurance because they have never needed it before. Additionally, some insurance companies are pulling out of Minnesota all together which is driving the cost of homeowners insurance up due to decreased competition. According to a report aired in June on CBS Minnesota, insurance companies in the state have lost money, 6 out of the last 7 years, due to weather related events. Minnesota is joining a growing list of states where homeowners insurance is either becoming unavailable or unaffordable.
The County Board has issued an emergency declaration in Lake County for losses and damages incurred as a result of the recent severe weather and flooding.
The next Lake County Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 9th at 2:00 PM.
